Manchester City ease past Southampton to keep title hopes alive
Manchester City warmed up for Thursday's pivotal Premier League battle with Liverpool by coasting past 10-man Southampton 3-1 at St Mary's.
David Silva and Sergio Aguero struck for City, with James Ward-Prowse's own goal also helping Pep Guardiola's men get back to winning ways.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg fired a fine first-half goal for Saints, only to be sent off late on for a two-footed tackle.
City hit back from defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester with ease, reclaiming second place and cutting Liverpool's Premier League lead to seven points.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the Premier League.
There are four games this afternoon in what should be an action-packed slate of action. First up, Crystal Palace vs Chelsea. Team news for that one shortly.
This is another difficult test for Maurizio Sarri and Chelsea. Their away form has been inconsistent of late - they were beaten at Tottenham and Wolves - and Crystal Palace are certain to disrupt them in the early stages.
It's a drab, uninspiring day in London, but the Blues come into this on the back of a crucial win at Watford. That will have given them confidence. A win this afternoon, after defeats for both Tottenham and Arsenal yesterday, would be a significant step towards a place in the top four.
Chelsea will be aware, though, that this won't be easy. A Wilfried Zaha-inspired Palace beat them at Selhurst Park last season, so complacency will need to be avoided.
Palace make just the one change to their starting lineup: Jeffrey Schlupp replaces Max Meyer, perhaps an indication that Roy Hodgson intends to play in a more direct manner today.
For Chelsea, Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud come in for Mateo Kovacic and Pedro.
Palace, despite failing to beat Cardiff in their last home game, might be feeling quietly confident about today. Their stunning victory at Manchester City is still fresh in the memory, and Chelsea have certainly not been infallible in recent weeks.
Results are still crucial for Palace, too. They remain just five points clear of 18th placed Fulham, and will want to pull away from the bottom three as soon as possible.
It's been a slow opening to this one. Both sides are settling in, trying to get a foothold in the game. Chelsea have controlled possession and Palace have made clear their intention to sit back and soak up pressure.
Chelsea are probing, playing some nice intricate football. But so far they have been met by a wall of Palace shirts. This is a pattern that looks like it might continue throughout.
Some muffled appeals for a Palace penalty as Zaha goes down under a challenge from Rudiger. Chelsea are then forced into some defending from a corner, which they deal with comfortably.
Hazard has won a free kick in a dangerous position. He found himself in space on the left and made his way towards the box. McArthur brought him down and now Palace have some defending to do.
A real chance for Rudiger. Willian curls in the free kick and the centre back has a free header from a few yards out. His body position is all wrong, though. He can only loop the header into Guaita's arms.
Jorginho gives the ball away with a loose pass and Andros Townsend drives towards the Chelsea goal. He lines up a shot, but Jorginho gets back to block.
At the other end, Kante fires a shot off from the edge of the box, which flashes wide of the post.
Kante, playing in a more advanced position under Sarri, is again in the thick of the action in the final third. Giroud holds the ball up in the box and it drops nicely for the midfielder. This time, his shot is deflected and loops up kindly for Guaita.
Hazard, playing out on the left today, jinks inside and wins a free kick. It's taken quickly and Chelsea win a corner, which is dealt with well by Palace. Hodgson's side have defended well so far.
Chelsea again work the ball nicely, but still can't find a way through Palace's packed defence. Sakho and Tomkins have been solid, while young right back Wan-Bissaka continues to impress.
The ball is played over the top for Giroud, who gets away from his marker and smashes a left-footed half-volley into the far corner. The flag is up, though, so it won't count.
Southampton vs Manchester City kicks off at 2:15pm (GMT)
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League.
Independent Sport will also keep you up to date with all the goals via our live blog.
Highlights will be shown on Match of the Day Two at 10:30pm on BBC One.
Player to watch…
Sergio Aguero: The Argentinian striker has managed eight goals and five assists in just 15 Premier League appearances this season and when he’s on the pitch, he’s always a threat. Aguero has failed to score in his last four league matches and is in direct competition with Gabriel Jesus for the starting spot.
Can Sergio Aguero get City back to winning ways? (Getty Images)
Form guide…
Southampton: LWWLLD
Man City: LLWLWW
Odds…
Southampton: 19/2
Manchester City: 3/10
Draw: 23/5
(Odds provided by 888 Sport)
Prediction…
Southampton 0-3 Man City: This game is absolutely crucial for Pep’s side. They can’t afford anything other than wins now, especially with Liverpool consistently winning matches. I feel Southampton will unluckily fall victims of a relentless bounce back City performance.
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